First Pixar Film: Ed Catmull's 3D Hand, Face Project (VIDEO)

Long before Nemo first swam his first lap, before Woody and Buzz were even stars in Andy's eyes, and even before Luxo hopped after that ball, a primitive model of a hand was getting the Pixar revolution started.

Ed Catmull, the future founder of Pixar and then a graduate student at the University of Utah, began the dramatic re-imagining of animation with a plaster model of his hand and some complicated math formulas. Placing polygon vertices throughout the hand to map it out on a computer, he was able to make it move, semi-smoothly even, in a short film that was actually printed to 8mm film.

He also was able to create digital renderings of faces and the pumping of an artificial heart valve.

The film was uploaded to the web by the son of one of Catmull's collaborators; he later met Catmull, toured Pixar (Catmull is now the head of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios) and discussed the history of the film and the entire experience at nerdplusart.com.

Meanwhile, Pixar will soon return to the human body; one of their two newly announced features will probe the depths of the human mind, a bit larger of a task to map out.

WATCH:

40 Year Old 3D Computer Graphics (Pixar, 1972) from Robby Ingebretsen on Vimeo.

Comments

[GeeCan]

06:07 PM on 09/06/2011

I watched the short film and was amazed at the vision Ed Catmull had to keep working on something that seemed impossible back in 1972: making feature length animated film using computers to generate the animation. The comments, however, are far more amusing and informative, than the film itself. Thanks people!

[SmartladyDem]

10:36 AM on 09/06/2011

Anyone remember DOS? This must have taken FOREVER

[guywhocantype]

09:31 AM on 09/06/2011

40 years ago from now, it was 1971. If this film is from 1972, that would make it 39 years ago. Elementary math - get to know it.

[mikeyaz17]

09:55 AM on 09/06/2011

you need to get laid

[billmwinc]

10:29 AM on 09/06/2011

don't you have any children to correct

[PatientZeroBeat]

11:00 PM on 09/06/2011

Remember, having children means having sex at some point.

[guywhocantype]

02:59 AM on 09/07/2011

I do have children. Two of them. And I expect them to add and subtract correctly.

[indsmx]

08:29 AM on 09/06/2011

Way to spin a headline, guess they cant get legit readers... "First Ever, Groundbreaking, 40-Year Old Pixar Film Revealed"

[carmenalex]

09:46 AM on 09/06/2011

but it was the first ever, groundbreaking(given the type of computers in the early 70's) 40 (39) year old Pixar film.

[garumphul]

10:51 AM on 09/06/2011

It's far from the first CG demo. It's just a very good one from a very high-profile individual who went on to much greater things. Pixar had nothing to do with this film, it was created by the CG labs at NYIT. It was made 7 years before the company that would be renamed Pixar (in 86) ever existed.

[cynicalmatt]

08:08 AM on 09/06/2011

That was an ugly hand

[SmartladyDem]

10:39 AM on 09/06/2011

It's messed up-maybe that's why it got stuck in a vault for decades.....

[MorpheusXNYC]

03:52 AM on 09/06/2011

This was 1972, not 1942. The music should be disco, not old school Jazz.

[George Hensler]

10:36 AM on 09/06/2011

Disco was around but hadn't crossed over in '72.

[TaxpayingVoter]

08:17 PM on 09/06/2011

It would have been cool with some Pink Floyd.

[TheCycad]

02:27 AM on 09/06/2011

:-)

[bohol2528]

01:46 AM on 09/06/2011

To have done this 40 years ago given how "stupid" computers were at the time is rather amazing.

[garumphul]

10:56 AM on 09/06/2011

Agreed. But don't forget that computers got a man onto the moon and back in 1969 (so you can bet the computer hardware was locked years before the launch). Stupid is relative.

[LonosCurse]

05:18 PM on 09/06/2011

Let's leave your relatives out of this.

[LonosCurse]

05:20 PM on 09/06/2011

I'm sorry, the pitch was too good to take.

[Devon Chambers]

12:43 AM on 09/06/2011

How is this JUST being talked about now ... I watched a movie not too long ago from i think about 2006 about Pixar and this was in there. That was 5 years ago.

[hiitthedirtboys]

09:20 AM on 09/06/2011

YOUR picture is adorable !!! BEST one Ive seen in several years !!! CUTE babies !!!

[SmartladyDem]

10:38 AM on 09/06/2011

HP is like fashion-If you hang around here long enough-everthing comes around again.

[SmartladyDem]

10:57 AM on 09/06/2011

AKA-everything-lol.

[crayola 08b]

11:28 PM on 09/05/2011

incredible! i'd love to see what kind of computer they did this on and how long it took to process the frames and what cpu and ram specs was available.

[renocrapshooter]

02:11 AM on 09/06/2011

Fuggin'A! It's so cool a hep cat like yourself digs Pixar!!!!!!!!

[joe477]

10:54 PM on 09/05/2011

If they wanted to simplify the process of mapping the human brain, they could have begun with that of a republican.

[chaapai]

12:08 AM on 09/06/2011

Take S. Balin's, she aint ever using it.

[jazzieb100406539]

09:49 PM on 09/05/2011

Astonishing! If this sort of artistry was available so long ago, was wasn't it widely seen until the 80's?

[Tennille Merkle]

09:34 PM on 09/05/2011

Wow, thanks for showing that!

[Tim Kunk]

08:00 PM on 09/05/2011

would love to know what system they were working on. anyone know?